Lola Dean Colley of Salem, Oregon, was baptized by me at Milo Camp Meeting for the Deaf in the summer of 2002.

I was honored to baptize her at her request. It was a special time for me because Lola was a former wife of late Verlyn Epps who was our good friend who often visited us when we lived in Oregon in the early 1980's. Lola left the church many years ago and divorced Verlyn. She remarried and moved to California where her current husband worked for Lockheed in the bay area.

After Lola's husband's retirement they moved to Salem, Oregon, where she met a deaf SDA member at the social place. Lola was impressed by God to return to God and His church through the fellowship with deaf members at Salem Central SDA Church and her beloved hearing brother who constantly prayed for and encouraged her to return to the Lord.

During the baptismal studies I was impressed with her knowledge of Adventist's beliefs despite the fact she had not attended the church for many years.

She told me that she grew up in Adventist home and she couldn't forget what she had learned when she was young.

When I baptized her, her past sins and life symbolically were washed away in the beautiful flowing South Umpqua River. She is now free from her old past and following Jesus Christ as her personal Savior and Lord with joy.